Crystal Palace v Manchester City prediction: Guardiola's men to make it three straight wins over the Eagles

Crystal Palace's opening weekend could hardly have gone worse. Oliver Glasner's side lost 2-0 away at Everton without registering a shot on target to trouble the scoreline, and they now face a Manchester City team that beat them by three goals in each of the last two meetings between the sides. Pep Guardiola's players started their own campaign with a 2-1 home win over Bournemouth, and a repeat of last season's H2H pattern would leave Palace bottom of the pile after two rounds.

Palace have nothing to show from their opener. The 2-0 defeat at Everton left them with zero goals scored, zero shots on target of note and a failed-to-score mark that will worry Glasner heading into a game against the champions-elect.

The underlying numbers from that match were not encouraging either. Palace had 58% possession at Goodison Park but managed just 11 shots and four on target, and they shipped two without reply. A home game against a City side low on confidence would be one thing. A home game against a City side that has won 6 of the last 10 meetings between these clubs is another altogether.

City opened with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, a game in which they carried 66% possession and racked up an expected goals figure of 2.25 from 13 shots, six of them on target. It was not flawless. They conceded once and failed to keep a clean sheet, but the attacking numbers point to a team that is functioning early in the season.

A trip to Selhurst Park has rarely troubled City in recent years. They have won six of the last ten meetings with Palace and lost only once in that sample, and back-to-back 3-0 wins in the last two head-to-heads suggest the gap between these two clubs has widened rather than narrowed.

Neither side has played more than one Premier League game this season, so the form guide is thin, but the direction of travel is clear. Palace lost their only outing, failing to score and shipping two goals away at Everton. City won theirs, scoring twice and generating enough chances to have won more comfortably than the final 2-1 scoreline suggests. On the numbers so far, City arrive with more confidence and a settled attacking pattern, while Palace need a reaction after a flat opening 90 minutes.

City sit seventh on 3 points after one game, level on points with a cluster of teams above them but separated by goal difference after their 2-1 win over Bournemouth. Palace have nothing on the board after round one and a goal difference of minus two following their loss at Everton.

It is early enough in the season that neither result carries much long-term weight, but a heavy defeat here would leave Palace bottom or close to it after two rounds, while a win keeps City in touching distance of the pace-setters at the top of the table.

City have the clear historical edge in this fixture. Of the last 10 meetings, City have won 6, Palace 1 and 3 have been drawn, with an average of 3.5 goals per game and both teams scoring in half of those matches. Seven of the last ten meetings have gone over 2.5 goals, and the most recent meeting finished 3-0 to City at the Etihad on 13 May 2026, following an identical 3-0 City win at Selhurst Park in December 2025.

That run of two consecutive 3-0 wins is the detail that stands out. The head-to-head has tilted further towards City in the most recent meetings than the overall 10-game sample suggests, and there is little in Palace's opening-day showing at Everton to indicate that trend is about to reverse. The pattern points towards goals, City goals in particular, with the over 2.5 line and a City-heavy correct score both supported by the recent record.

The gap in attacking output from the opening round is stark. City averaged 2 goals, 13 shots and an xG of 2.25 against Bournemouth, while Palace managed 11 shots, no goals and an xG-free display at Everton. City also had the corner count in their favour in their opener, 8 to 3, a marker of sustained territorial control that Palace could not match at Goodison Park, where they conceded 4 corners to none won.

Possession will likely tell a similar story at Selhurst Park. Palace had the ball more than Everton did against them (58%) but still could not create clear chances, and City's 66% share at home last week suggests they will dominate the ball again here.

Kick-off at Selhurst Park is 8pm BST on Friday, 28 August. Friday night fixtures in the Premier League are the regular live slot for Sky Sports in the UK, with build-up coverage on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from the early evening. Bet365 account holders may also have access to a live stream of the match subject to eligibility.

The head-to-head record does the heavy lifting here. City have won the last two meetings 3-0 and 6 of the last 10 overall, and with Palace goalless from their opener, the value sits with City's attack rather than a tight, low-scoring afternoon.